Childish Actions
by Chau N
Summary: What would happen if Ben was a different age? Would the results be different and would it change anything at all? How would it affect the story and it's characters? In a good or bad way? Well at least he had two friends that could understand him. AU Child!Ben. Maybe little crushes between the kids. Starting from where he first appeared! Rated T for mild gore, angst, and language.
1. Encountering the Strangers

**A/N: Hello Pandora here! This was a splurge of a plot bunny in my head. So why the heck not? I do not own The Walking Dead Game or its characters. So enjoy my story instead!((Since Ben's younger, hes gonna make different choices, and the people around him too)).**

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Ben backed away, beryl eyes full of worry and distress. He watched his friend vainly try to help his teacher. It was no use. Blood seeped, steadily pouring out. He looked away, eyes shut tightly, not wanting to see the horrific injury.

Even though he had seen much with his eyes, he wasn't still used to the sight. It was like in those movies that he wasn't allowed to watch until he 'got older'.

He wasn't older and it seemed that his life became that forbidden movie. And how he promised he would never watch movies like this, was long gone. For Ben it had been a trip of every thing that he was told would never happen. But it had. Oh it so very had, happening right in front of him.

He heard the heavy pace of running and looked to see two men right running up to them. Ben stiffened, racing behind Travis. Travis looked up and saw that they were now right in front of them."Jesus Christ," one of the men stated, both eyes wide at the sight.

"Oh shit! No, no please don't kill us! We just want to help our teacher! We'll leave I swear! Travis said, holding up his hands to sign he was no threat. Ben peered cautiously from his leg.

They looked very intimidating. One was African American while the other was Caucasian, that's what they looked like. One had glasses while the other had a full goatee. Both were armed, while they on the other hand, weren't. They could kill them easily if the wanted to. Ben shuddered at the thought and pushed it back.

Another man came out, brush snapping loudly as he joined the two men. Probably a friend of theirs.

"Lee! You guys okay?" he asked, shot gun in hand. He had a big mustache and a hat, definitely Caucasian . They only directed their stares to poor David Parker, all silent.

"Get it off! Get it off, God Dammit, get it off me! the man begged, writhing. "Travis maybe they can help!" Ben said, the men now noticing him. Even though they were strangers, perhaps they could lend a hand.

It seemed like their only option, since obviously they couldn't get it off. Besides humanity could still be human, right? Oh how wrong the world was now.

His older friend looked at him in disbelief. "These might be the same guys who raided our camp... and we barely got away from that!" Ben gulped.

It was true. They wouldn't be in this situation if bandits hadn't taken over their camps. They escaped, running in the forest for safety, and somehow through the confusion their teacher had fallen in a animal trap. Bear, to be precise.

"What guys?" The guy with the glasses asked, turning to the man with the goatee if he knew. "Why the fuck is there a bear trap out here?" The mustache man jumped in overlapping the other's words. The man with the goatee took charge.

"Who raided your camp?" an deep authoritative voice asked. "I dunno, men with guns!" Ben answered with uncertainty, stepping out and putting a hand on Travis's sleeve.

"Please! We won't bother you I swear!" Travis promised again. The man with the glasses had a look of sympathy for the young boy.

"Lee this is fucked up. We gotta help 'em," the man with the glasses said to the man with the goatee, whose name was Lee. A look of pain and doubt crossed his face.

"PLEASE!" Ben pleaded, eyes almost to the point of watering. The teenager glared at him, and shoved him off. "Ben shut up! My dad was Special Forces, I know what I'm doing," he scolded at the boy. He gave a nervous smile to the strangers.

Ben paid no attention to the teen's words. If his Dad was with this so-called 'Special Forces' wouldn't they be out of this problem already?

"Just see if you can get him out! After that you can leave us or whatever, I don't care! Please!" Ben said, ignoring the older teenager disapproval. The group of men all looked at each other uneasy. However that seemed to help Lee make up his mind. "We gotta get him out of there!" he said, turning towards the man wearing glasses.

"Oh God! Thank you!" their teacher said, overjoyed that they would help. Ben felt happier, he knew that these men weren't bad! He knew it in his gut! "Fine, but you gotta hurry!" Mustache man replied to Lee.

"Hurry...please hurry..." the poor man urged. Lee stepped towards the man to help, as they all watched, nervously for different reasons. All were to consumed to see one of the undead pass by, going unnoticed by all.

Their teacher groaned, struggling to take the trap off. "Lee, this trap's been altered. There's no release latch," glasses guy sadly stated. Ben's eyes widened. By the sound of that, it wasn't a good thing.

"Oh no..." Travis said, eyes darting around. They all looked, all now beyond anxiety.

In the distance a couple of the 'monsters' were steadily coming forward, all growling at the scent of the living."Shit Walkers! Its now or never Lee." Mustache man said, shifting his gun and feet.

"Please... get me out of this!" he said, afraid they would leave him. "Mark get the boys back, keep an eye on the little one!" Lee said, concern going to the young kid; he knelt, observing how deep it was.

'Glasses man' or 'Mark' complied. Even though they were in the middle of a apocalypse, Lee wanted to shield the young boy like Clementine.

Heck, he was even more sensitive than her! They were so innocent and he wanted to still keep it going, society was already corrupted even before the calamity happened. Ben's cheeks puffed out in irritation, at the word 'little'.

How he hated that word. He also hated 'crybaby' and 'sensitive' words that a lot of kids teased him with.

"Kenny, keep those walkers off me!" Lee firmly said. 'Mustache man' or 'Kenny' already had his gun up, aimed at the walkers.

"Damn it this is bad...real bad," Lee muttered to himself. But Ben heard. "You have to get him out... you HAVE to!" he said frantically. "Just get me out! Please!" the man repeated again. Mark and Kenny started shooting at the walkers, careful not to waste ammo. "This can't be happening," Ben said cowering behind them. He hated guns, they were to loud.

"Lee do SOMETHING!" Mark shouted, as they continued gunning down the walkers. Lee stood up, remorse in his eyes. "I'm gonna have to cut you out!" The man's eyes widened, fear consuming him. "No no no! Try the trap! Anything please!" the man said panicking at Lee's intentions.

Ben almost screamed when he saw the axe swung back. Quickly he averted his eyes, taking cover from it. He forgot to cover his ears. It wouldn't have helped anyway.

His teacher's tortured and lament screams, somehow still strong besides the loud gunshots. They echoed through the forest, alive with the sounds. He covered his ears, the noises overwhelming him.

It was too much for a little boy to stand. The monsters slowly closing in, the yells of the strangers, the comments from his friend, and the strangled noises from the poor man.

As soon as it started, it was over, the screams ceasing. Ben looked and saw all of them crowded around, as Kenny covered them. He walked, hoping that he was alive. "Oh god!" Travis yelped, emptying his stomach contents. "Shit is he... ?" Mark said, looking at Lee.

"He passed out," Lee replied, still a bit disgusted at what he did. But it had to be done, he couldn't leave him in the slow treacherous pain. Ben pushed to the front and saw the horrific image of his teacher. Where was his right foot?

Ben was soon answered, seeing it still ensnared in the trap. He frowned, not as nauseated as his older friend. He only stood, mourning the poor man's leg. He would never get to walk the same way again. Would he hop like a rabbit? Ben didn't know. Blood quickly seeped, over the dried blood in the grass.

"If he's alive grab him and let's go!" Kenny rushed, no longer shooting. Mark hastily put the man's body over his shoulders, slightly groaning at the weight. Lee looked guilty, and went over to Ben. Wait. Where was the other kid? His eyes widened as he saw the fast moving zombies.

"BEHIND YOU!" Lee warned. Ben turned, expression worried for his friend."TRAVIS!" he screamed. The teenager was wiping his mouth, from the vomit.

"Come on, come on! We gotta move!" the man said, holding back the young boy that was trying to reach his companion. They had spent to much time already, their time limited."AHH!" Travis yelped, nearly colliding with a walker as he almost got caught by one.

He backed up, tripping over a rock **(A/N: because I couldn't put feet. That would be the stupidest death cause).** The zombies growled; they had a new prey. He backed up, crawling backwards. But the dead were too close.

"HEEEELLLPPPP-AHHHHHH-AGGGRRRrrrrrHhhhhh," his muffled cries, turning incoherent as they pounced, feasting on his flesh.

"NOOOOOO!" Ben yelled, fighting against Lee's protective hold. His friend was being _eaten alive in front of them! _Why couldn't they save him? Why was he so helpless? He fought a bit more violently. It however had no effect against the strong man. Lee swiftly lifted him on his shoulder, running towards camp."WHY?WHY?WHY?" Ben ranted, as he was being taken away.

Lee felt pained for the boy. He could not answer that. The only thing he could do was save the boy. And hopefully, he'll understand. Lee as well hoped he could too.

**A/N: You have no idea how hard it was to go back and re-watch it. I am probably going to cry again.** **Oh, was it good or bad. Boring, I know but that's the prologue so you know. Review if you want more!**


	2. Meeting Friends

**A/N: Hey there, Pandora talking! This is where Ben meets the other kids. I hope they get along! Heh, you know. I do not own TWD game or characters. If I did everyone would be happy and there would be sunshine!**

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Larry pounded away at a board, covering up the gaps in their poorly made walls. It was full of holes, making them a target practice for anyone and anything. This had been going for a long time, bandits shooting at random.

But somehow they always managed, taking cover at last minute. He wiped his forehead, using the sorry excuse of a hammer, when it was only a ordinary rock.

His daughter, Lilly was on look-out in case of an surprise ambush or if the group came back with trouble. Everyone was slowly milling around. They were all tired for many reasons.

Clementine boringly kicked back and forth a soccer ball, using a trach can as an opponent. It was probably the only thing for entertainment now. Katja checked up on her son, Kenny Jr. as he scribbled away, Katja smiling at her care-free , he seemed not affected by the events that had happened over the months. On the other hand, it hit everyone hard.

It had been tough, everyone noticing the decrease in food. It was limited, so the men had to go hunting, while they stayed to make sure that their camp wasn't attacked. It was getting worst each day, the sources for surviving slowly dwindling away. From walkers and themselves.

Not to mention they had competition, with a few 'neighbors'. If neighbors now shot at others. No they were bandits, all trying to get something out of them. But they stood up, not giving up, and for the meantime it seemed to do the trick. Sure occasionally there were a few break outs, but nothing that major.

Lilly observed all of them, dark creases under her eye from exhaustion and stress. A few gusts of wind swept often, making autumn well known. As if they didn't know already.

She glanced at her father; both looking up at the same time. She forced a smile on her tired face. They could only endure so much, all were slowly breaking away. The rustling of the woodlands caught her attention, as she turned glaring at the trees. On guard, she got up, fire arm in hand.

The others not noticing continued their activity, Clementine's soccer ball making a loud sound every time it rebounded back. Lilly whistled a bird call, a signal for them to be quiet. Clementine stopped, crouching down to make herself unnoticed, as the others did.

Father and daughter both stared off, daring for the anonymous sounds to show their faces. It dared, running out to them, only to be Lee and the others.

"Get the gates open! We've got wounded!" Lee shouted, Lilly flinching back, realizing they were no threat. Her eyes were wide as she spotted a little boy in his arms. What exactly happened?

"Shit. What the hell are they doing?" she angrily said to herself.

Saving lives, isn't it obvious?

Everyone rushed up, all having mixed emotions as they helped open the gates. He let Ben down, as the young boy helped him push. Lee looked down, for what had recently happened, he seemed strong willed. "Come on! Come on!" Kenny said, worried they would draw attention. They all slipped in, shutting the gates.

"Oh my god! What happened?"

"Who's that?"

Who the Hell are these people?"

"Holy Shit."

"Lee, are you okay?"

"I don't have time to explain," Lee said as they all talked in a jumbled mess. "Get him into the truck, I'll see what I can do," Katja said, as they lowered the passed out man in the back of the truck. "Kat can you fix him?" Kenny questioned. "Jesus Ken! I-I―"

"Lee! Lee!" Lilly rushed in. The said man turned to see what was so important. Her face was set in a deep scowl, "What the hell?! You can't just be bringing new people here! What are you thinking?!"

That set Kenny off, as he defended the said man. "Hey you wanna calm down for a fucking minute?" he fired back. "Hey watch your mouth!" Larry said, defending his daughter.

"No I don't! I want to know why bringing more mouths to feed is a good idea?" Lilly fired back. Lee was deep in thought, thinking about his choices to say. Ben shifted uneasily, not really wanting to attract any attention. "Jesus Christ," Mark added. "He would have died if we left him!" Lee reasoned.

"So what?" the old man argued. "We are NOT responsible for every struggling survivor we come across! WE have to focus on OUR group! Right here! Right now!" she said, pointing a finger in the man's face.

Mark scoffed at the woman's antic's. "Come on, Lilly these are people! People trying to survive just like us. We've gotta stick together to survive!" he said, gesturing to Ben. Everyone directed their stares on the boy, the children more intensely.

"The only reason your here is because you had food. Enough for ALL of us. But that food is almost gone, we've got maybe a week's worth left, and I don't suppose you guys are carrying any groceries, are you?!" she said sarcastically.

"Um...No-I'm sorry," Ben said looking down at his feet. "Fine you guys fight it out, then," Mark huffed. "Welcome to the family kid," Mark grumbled, walking away.

Ben felt someone tugging at his hand and looked to see. It was the little girl, well not little since she was about the same age as him. "Come over here and see what I drew," she said, trying to draw him away. "What?No, I-" Ben stumbled for words. He didn't want to leave his teacher. He was the only person left. But she continued tugging at him. "Just come on, okay?" she said, her persistence growing. Ben sighed inwardly, letting her take him away.

The adult's arguing continued, as Clementine sat down, pulling for him to join her. He allowed it, sitting down. "My names Clementine. Whats yours?" she greeted, despite what had just happened.

"Ben," he said, as he picked up a crayon. "How old are you?" she added. "Ten," he stated, playing with the crayon. "I'm eight, but it'll be my birthday soon," Clementine eagerly said.

"Oh, Happy early Birthday," Ben said, giving her a shy smile. "Thanks!" she grinned back. "My name's Kenny Jr., but everyone calls me Duck!" Ben jumped at the unexpected voice, only to see the other boy.

"Are you ten too?" he excitedly said. "Yea..." Ben trailed off. "That's cool! We can do all sorts of cool things like catching frogs and bugs, race each other and..." the boy trailed off, listing off all the things for his new friend. "Is he always like this?" Ben whispered to Clementine.

"Yup, but you'll get use to it," the girl assured, as she continued drawing. "I know! Let's have a drawing contest!" Duck blurted out. "A drawing contest?" Ben said, curious. "Yea! Me!" he pointed to himself, "And you," he pointed to Ben,"Are going to have a drawing contest!"

Clementine crossed her arms,"How come I'm not in it?" she question, annoyed to be left out. "Because we need you to sit still, if we're gonna draw you!" Duck explained.

Clementine eye's light up."Oh, okay!" she sat still. "When do you start?" she asked. "It already started Clem!" Duck said, as both boys had already started sketching the model.

Ben inwardly sighed; he knew he coud'nt escape this. He also didn't want to give a bad impression. Ben decided to use a pencil, while Kenny Jr. used colored crayons.

They sat, concentrating and erasing, until Duck called time. "Hey that's not fair! You only called when you were finished!" Clem said, mad that he didn't give Ben extra time. "Oh it's okay, I already finished," Ben said, holding out his picture. They two children gaped at it. It looked like a black and white version of the girl. As if it were a photograph come to life.

"Wow Ben! That's really good! Are you an artist?" Clementine said, as she gazed at the drawing with awe. "Maybe..." Ben said, scratching his head, blushing. "Look at mine!" Duck said, pushing in.

Compared to Ben's, Duck's looked like chicken scratch. There were an assortment of many colors, all forming a blob with a scrawled out 'Clem' at the top. They would need that name to identify it. "It's very...colorful," Clem, said struggling for words, as Ben tried not to snicker. Duck crossed his arms," At least mine _has_ color," he mumbled.

"Clem, you can keep this...if you want," Ben offered to the girl. "Really?!" she said, happy that she used her nick name and she could keep the wonderful picture. He smiled, not as shy as before. "Thanks Ben!" she thanked, hugging the boy. He blushed redder at the unexpected contact, and let her hug him.

"Ewwwww gross!" Duck said, inching away. "What's gross?" Clementine asked, perplexed. "You both have...cooties and... bleck!" Duck said, sticking out his tongue. Now aware, Clem squeaked before letting go of the boy. They both stared away, both having heavy blushes.

"Alright you two whats going on?" a voice asked. They all looked, to see Lee walking towards the trio."Hi Lee!" Clementine waved, as the man came over. "Look what Ben drew!" she said, showing him the drawing. Lee's eyebrows shot up,"Your pretty good...Ben was it?"

Ben nodded,"Yes sir." Lee laughed,"Call me Lee." "Okay Lee," Ben smiled, happy that they had it sorted out. "You have food! I'm starving!" Duck said. The children all now noticed the man was holding a handful of food.

Lee grinned sadly," Sorry kids, this is all we have right now..." he trailed off. "Clem, here," he said handing her the half apple. "Give it to Ben! I bet he's starving!" Clem urged. Lee's eyebrow cocked," Clem―"

"It's okay! I already ate," she said back. Lee crossed his arms, "From where?" "Carley, she gave me some," she informed him. He nodded, "Here Ben," Lee said handing it to the boy. The boy accepted it, not yet eating it though.

"Aw that's not fair, he's taller than me and Clem! He's already grown!" Duck complained. "But that doesn't mean he _stopped_ growing," Lee pointed out. Duck huffed but got food anyway; Lee feeling his father's eyes on him. He than continued to walk off, giving the rations to whoever needed it.

As Duck gobbled down his with the silly expression of contentment on his face, Ben leaned towards the girl.

"You didn't really eat anything, did you?" Ben asked, low. "What do you mean?" Clementine said, cocking her head. "I can hear your stomach growling, you don't have to lie," Ben clarified. Seeing that she was caught she sighed, deciding not to play dumb.

"I just wanted you to eat," she said, head lowering. Her stomach increased the ache when it heard the eating from Duck. She heard a cracking sound and then a poke in the side. "Here," Ben offered. "She looked up, seeing half of the already half apple. "Won't you be hungry?" she said, taking it gingerly from his hands.

Ben shrugged," Yea, but it'll make me better to know you ate too," he answered. She smiled at his honesty, "I appreciate it Ben," she beamed, munching on it. He munched along," No problem," he said through bites.

The pair enjoyed the food they shared, the apple tasting sweeter in their mouths. And for a moment... they both forgot of the mishap that was happening.

**A/N: Some fluff between the two kids. I think its pretty cute. Actually adorable. Review if you want more.**


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